人间最美的“虹”

鲁晓敏

我们经常会用美丽来形容一座廊桥，美丽的廊桥非常多，绝美的廊桥屈指可数，温州泰顺泗溪镇下桥村的北涧桥便是其中的一座，美不胜收，美得孤傲，美得绝伦。

北涧桥始建于清康熙十三年（1674），嘉庆八年（1803）重建，道光二十九年（1849）重修。51.7米的长桥拱形横跨在北溪上，净跨达到了29米，廊屋29间。我站在溪滩上，仰望北涧桥，桥正中重檐歇山顶的阁楼屋顶奋力向上反曲，形成大幅度的凹面，屋檐相交处突然翘得很高，形如大鹏展翅。两侧廊屋大幅度倾斜，呈现出饱满的几何状。

阁楼屋脊上塑着一对相对而立的青龙，雕得雄浑苍健，充满阳刚之美，一副跃跃欲飞的模样。双龙神态栩栩如生，眼珠格外清亮，须发一毫不乱，鳞甲细腻真切，在夕阳下熠熠生辉，看起来动感十足。

北澗桥身着枣红色大漆，通体透红，红得酣畅淋漓，红得烂漫迷人，红得让人心醉。当北涧桥红色的桥身炽热地倒映在水面上，如同夕阳照临，整片水面红彤彤的一片，如同天边绚丽的晚霞，透出一股凄艳的美。真正的夕阳正从廊桥的西面缓缓地落下，余晖漂染过桥身，此刻的廊桥露出美人迟暮一般的苍凉。

北涧桥东侧植有一棵1200年的大樟树，以及一株千余年的乌桕树。长长的枝桠伸展而来，黑压压地覆盖着桥身，原本黑暗的桥身内部变得更加黑暗，如同历史的黑洞。桥头古街铺着一长溜的鹅卵石道，如同大地的骨骼，它们的表面被草鞋、布鞋、皮鞋摩擦得几乎可以映照出人影来，密密匝匝的石子点缀着路面，仿佛一条时光的长河。行走在石子上，凹凸感真实地从脚掌下传递而来。光阴何似？我们的脚掌与前人的脚掌在此重叠，我们真切地感受到了百年前古人曾经同样的感觉，时间在这里重合，却都成为历史的组成部分。

从桥窗里透过来的光线给人热切的感觉，好像那里面是一个充满着无限想象力的世界。事实上，那是下桥村人的精神世界。泰顺廊桥中间多设有神龛，供奉的菩萨、神仙可谓是五花八门，常见的有观音、平水大王、土地神、文昌君等，祭祀日期通常是祭祀对象的生辰、重要节气、每月初一十五，祭祀活动非常热闹。北涧桥正中的神龛中端坐着观音菩萨，两侧挂着森森帷幔，神龛四周精雕细刻，描红绘彩，显得一派富丽。我去过北涧桥多次，有一次正值农历初一，桥上前前后后来了不少祭祀的村人，有一位叫林起普的老人安静地等着前面的人祭拜，等香客一一将祭祀品收走后，他和老伴摆上了贡品，不停地磕头。他告诉我，他家就住桥东，每天都会到桥上走一走，但是到了初一十五，他们还是习惯祭拜一下菩萨。

北涧桥也是一个俗世之地，桥头连接着老街，以前经营南货、土布、洋布、中药材、食品和茶铺，如今依旧店铺林立，小贩们经营着各种买卖。就连桥上也摆着地摊，摆满了各种土特产，以及香烛和供品。小贩王宇琳告诉我，正月生意还行，大概有二三千元，平时生意一般，反正在家待着没事做，不在乎收入好坏。北涧桥仿佛集市一般，人来人往，讨价声，问候声，交流声，声声入耳。

东、南、北三溪在北涧桥正前方交汇，形成一处宽阔的水面，溪水清澈见底，水底水草随波轻轻摇摆，不时有鱼儿嬉戏。村民有在桥下放生的习俗，从不捕捞，鱼越聚越多，形成了一道风景。走过长长的矴步桥，在泗溪对岸回望北涧桥，它如同大鸟展开翅膀，准备振翅飞翔。此时，成群的鸟儿从樟树顶上飞起，它们忽高忽低地掠过眼前的水面，又“哗啦啦”地振翅飞向空蒙的远山，羽翎在阳光中闪动着金色的光晕，直到消失得无影无踪......

在下桥村和白粉墙村交界处还有一座木拱廊桥——溪东桥，大小及模样与北涧桥相仿，因同处泗溪镇，所以也称之为泗溪姐妹桥。溪东桥始建于明隆庆四年（1570），历代多次重修，桥长41.7米，建有15间廊屋，宽4.86米，净跨25.7米。它像一张虚引的巨弓，拱桥如弓臂，水波如弓弦，岸边一杆杆高树如一支支箭，仿佛大力士随手一张弓搭箭，就可以将高树“嗖”地一声射上天。

站在桥头四处眺望，我看到了一幅与廊桥形成呼应的山野景色：狮子峰、将军峰相对而出，一溪碧水在累累乱石间淙淙流淌，卵石、青石、山石垒砌而成的千年古道穿桥而过。眼下的古村鸡犬相闻，炊烟正在青山绿水间袅袅升起……

《清明上河图》中的汴水虹桥如今早已荡然无存。值得庆幸的是，我从北涧桥、溪东桥的结构、形态、气势、美学、跨度上都找到了虹桥的影子。两道长虹一上一下横卧村口，如同彩虹一般照亮了古老的下桥村。

我与廊桥拍摄者和研究者吴卫平、陈寿灿、王剑等老师聊起中国最美的木拱廊桥，他们不假思索地吐出三个字——北涧桥。著名的廊桥研究专家戴志坚在《中国廊桥》一书中，对泰顺廊桥的定位是——中国最美的虹桥应属泰顺的木拱廊桥。至于泰顺哪一座木拱廊桥最美？他也给出了非常肯定的答案——北涧桥、溪东桥。为什么很多的专家、学者会认为北涧桥是最美的廊桥呢？

走过不少泰顺木拱廊桥，我发现一个现象：首先，泰顺廊桥一大特色是廊屋，复杂多变的屋顶造型，飞扬流畅的线条，轻盈灵动的檐角，形成了别具一格的美;其次，大多数的木拱廊桥拱架比较高，与之相呼应的就是桥的坡度大，廊屋更加翘曲，远远看上去如同大鹏展翅或者鹰击长空。那种弯曲的弧度仿佛是一双无形的巨手挤压出来的，充满着力度和弹性;其三，许多廊桥身上涂着红色大漆，流光溢彩，如同条条彩虹飘落在人间;其四，不少廊桥身处乡村，连接着田畈和山野，桥头古木簇拥，意境悠远，闪烁着唐诗宋词般的灵秀。

北涧桥，同时拥有这些要素，从而编织出了绝美的人间彩虹。

（作者系浙江省散文学会副会长）

The Most Beautiful “Rainbow” on Earth

By Lu Xiaomin

We often use the word “beautiful” to describe a bridge， but only a small number could fit the category. The Beijian Bridge， located at Taishun， is such an elegant， unparalleled beauty.

It was first built during Emperor Kangxi’s reign （1674） in the Qing dynasty （1644-1911）， reconstructed in the eighth year of the reign of Emperor Jiaqing （1803）， and refurbished in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of Emperor Daoguang （1849）. Stretching for 51.7 meters long across the Beixi Brook， it has a net span of 29 meters with 29 porches. I stood on the bank， looking up at the Beijian Bridge and its attic in the middle of the bridge. The attic roof bends largely upward at the eave， forming a large concave and a steep high intersection which has a shape of a roc spreading its wings. Both sides of the porch tilt significantly， showing a full geometric shape.

On the ridge of the attic is carved a pair of fly-ready mighty blue dragons standing opposite each other， glittering in the sunset and looking vividly dynamic.

The whole body of the Beijian Bridge is painted in the color of the red date， a color with burning passion. When the red Beijian Bridge is reflected in the brook， the whole water surface is as brightly red as lit by the sunset. And as the sun is really setting from the west side of the bridge， the afterglow would slightly range over the bridge body and make the latter look like an aged beauty standing in desolation.

At the east side of the Beijian Bridge， there is a 1200-year-old camphor tree， as well as a thousand-year-old sapium tree. The long branches stretch out and cover the bridge in black shades， making the already dark interior of the bridge even darker， like a black hole of history. There is some light coming through the bridge window which radiates brightness and warmth， as if it is a world full of infinite imagination. In fact， that is the spiritual world of the people of Xiaqiao village for worshiping Buddha and various kind of gods and goddesses.

The Beijian Bridge is also a place of hustle and bustle. It is connected to the old street， which used to be a place for merchandise exchanges and is still lined with stores nowadays， with vendors running all kinds of businesses.

Many experts and scholars believe that the Beijian Bridge， a typical Taishun wooden bridge， is the most beautiful covered bridge， and the reasons， based on my observations， are as follows： it features porches which has a unique appeal with its complex and various shapes， smooth lines， and agile eaves; the bridge arch is relatively high and the slope quite large; the body was painted in red that is bright and eye-catching; and it is located in the rural area， endowed with a sense of poetic wilderness. With all the above elements， no wonder the beautiful Beijian Bridge is regarded as a rainbow on earth.